


perfect will.

by nugatories



Category: Original Work, perfect will.
Genre: Catholicism, Detective Noir, Gen, Horror, LGBTQ Themes, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Murder Mystery, Original Fiction, Other, Religion, Slice of Life, Thriller, dark Romanticism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:16:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nugatories/pseuds/nugatories
Summary: A group of high school students are assigned a case to discover the motives of a killing ten years prior. The only issue is, they may not solve the inquest alive.





	1. prologue of john

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in the beginning was the word.

Στην αρχή το λέξη υπήρχε ήδη.  
Ο Λόγος ήταν με τον Θεό,  
Και ο Λόγος ήταν ο Θεός.  
Υπήρχε στην αρχή με τον Θεό.  
Ο Θεός δημιούργησε τα πάντα μέσα από αυτόν,  
Και τίποτα δεν δημιουργήθηκε παρά μόνο μέσω αυτού.  
Ο Λόγος έδωσε ζωή σε όλα όσα δημιουργήθηκαν,  
Και η ζωή του έφερε φως σε όλους.  
Το φως λάμπει στο σκοτάδι,  
Και το σκοτάδι δεν μπορεί ποτέ να το σβήσει.


	2. genesis 1:1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in the beginning, god created the heaven and the earth.

“Do we even have a case this year? I heard the other schools backed out due to financial issues. We can't have a case if we don't have an opponent.”

Maria Beilschmidt was arguably the best person on our mock trial team. Strong, young, and fierce, she was almost unanimously dubbed team captain. I admired her spirit.

Even to this day, I pray that force is still with me. Driving me.

“Now, Miss Maria,” Ms. Landvik spoke, her voice tightening. “I told you I would discuss this once everyone arrived. It's just you and Andresa. Wait for the rest of the team, will you not?”

Rebecka Landvik was a former Norwegian student at my school and was my homeroom teacher. She was the worst math teacher I had ever met, but everyone loved her. She was kind, and since she ran the after school detention program or whatever, no one really feared speaking their mind to her. If she sentenced them to detention, she'd feed them sugar cookies left over from her lunch and everyone would collectively play hangman or something. I had never gotten a detention. Try as I might, Ms. Landvik seemed totally opposed to students purposefully getting detention to hang out with her. She told me that she wanted to mentor the troubled, outspoken students, but I knew she was just doing her job. Certain actions called for certain measures, and since she believed being engaged in conversation and being passionate about one's views was no crime, detention was fun.

Maria grumbled stubbornly and sat down. School had just ended, and it was Friday, so no detention. That meant the mock trial team was called to order. I was only in the room because I had study hall last period. I could get there earlier.

I enjoyed people-watching. But from inside a classroom, I could only watch my teammates file in. Steve and Macey Hangen, twins from some place they dare not speak of, followed by Tang, a Canadian girl that begged Patriotic County to let her in. Michelle Lee, a promising Singaporean architect in training, and at a young age, too. Gabriella Rosales, a Honduran girl who was probably the hottest person in the school. Mirjam Rakotomalala, my best friend, whom I called Maddie. She was from Madagascar, and I was there for her when it came time to adjust to the new school system.

We attended a school known as Patriotic County American Trade School. How it worked was scouts from Patriotic County travelled around the world and visited poor areas, usually, and plucked the most promising, talented, and smart students to come to America and learn here. They were taught English, and once here, they could learn even more languages to fit the nation's “no official language” statement. Or whatever. Students could pick between Spanish, French, German, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

They also were able to simply learn how American schools worked. Students were separated by the nation they hailed from into dorms, regardless of gender or age. It seems sketchy, but the school had yet to have issues one might think of.

Students got full access to Patriotic County nine months out of a year. They would be flown back to their homes during the summer and sometimes in vacations.

The school could not receive funds through local taxes, so students must sign a waver before attending that their loans must be paid off after graduation. If money is still owed by the demise of the student, all their funds will go to the school. It sounds greedy, but it's a smart way to get your money, fair and square.

The longer someone attends the school, the better the education. Four years is the maximum, while some only attend for their senior year. It's about the price for an American Ivy League college per year. Like, $65,000 for each year. That's a lot for a poor kid like me to owe. I didn't come from much, so I hoped I'll make it when I graduated. Rather that be in debt until I depart, I prayed I'll eventually find a quick way to pay off the tuition.

More about me, if you will. My name is Andresa Simone. I was a Brazilian high school student with high hopes for my future. I wanted to become a surgeon and share a house with Maddie. I had asked her to try and get a doctorate's with me, but she had her mind set on something else. I think it was…cooking. Or something wifely. I can't remember.

It's been too long since we spoke.

Ms. Landvik tapped her pencil against her clipboard as she took attendance for the club. “Everyone's here,” She announced, sighing in relief. “I'm glad. Today's meeting is a little less…lighthearted than I would like it to be.”

Careful glances were exchanged. I looked at Maddie, whose dark eyes were barely visible under her nearly black, long bangs. She was scared; I could tell. But she always was scared. She had anxiety and a speech impediment. Maddie stuttered often, and some words she could not pronounce. It wasn't a sake of translation or accent. In fact, most students learned English so young, we did not even have accents. Maybe a tinge, but Maddie didn't. Her words were just…off. And when I first met her, I personally vowed to make her disabilities something she would not need to worry about.

I think about my good deeds often, reminiscing. It's nice. I have a lot of time to think now.

More than I thought I would ever have.  
Anyway, Ms. Landvik continued. “This week marks the ten year anniversary since the mass murder of Patriotic County's former Japanese students. I'm sure you're all aware, with the memorial being cleaned and flowers being left there often, I'm sure?”

Ten years prior to that meeting did a Japanese transfer student by the name of Yuuna Kurogane slaughter four of her peers. The four students killed were those who shared her dorm. All were killed after hours when no students were allowed in the hallways, but no incidents had occurred, so security wasn't too tight. Yuuna managed to end the lives of all four students in tactical, brutal ways, supposedly. Thereafter, she fled the school and was never seen since the incident.

It left a stain on Patriotic County for the next decade. Just recently had the whole event died down, until ten years passed by. Some people came and paid their respects to the deceased. First thing in the morning, when we were allowed out of our dorms, I went to the memorial and prayed. I prayed to God that the four victims were alright, and that Yuuna would eventually suffer for her irredeemable actions. The heinous crime she committed was the bane of Patriotic County's negative reputation, and I wanted to attend a good school. If she had soiled my chances, I would have gone berserk.

Communal nods crowded the room. Ms. Landvik took a deep breath. “I need all of you to sign a form for me. All of you are fifteen and older, so no parent signature is needed. Though if it were up to me, I'd do otherwise…” She frowned. Her circular glasses slid down her slim nose, and she pushed them back up with the forms in her hand. She began handing them out to us. “It's to swear each of you to secrecy with this years' case. On behalf of the New York police department, too. If you choose not to sign this, you cannot participate in mock trial this year, though it won't be much of a trial. Feel free to read the entirety of it, but there isn't much.”

Steve raised his hand.

Ms. Landvik pointed to him and smiled. “Yes, Mister Hangen?”

His crisp blue eyes darted to the side. “Uhh…what's this all about? Like, what can you tell us without violating this or whatever?”

His voice was dull, but interested.

The peppy teacher smirked and adjusted her fuzzy sweater vest that was an ugly green and yellow pattern. “Well, mister, our mock trial team has won regional championships fifteen years in a row! You all have the potential to help the NYPD take on a real criminal case! It's dangerous, but with this, you'll be fine! My brother is a police officer. You'll probably meet him.”

At "criminal case", pencils and pens signed the form quickly.

“Done.”

Though reluctant myself to get into a situation I didn't know much of, I signed the document and handed it to Ms. Landvik.

I wish I didn't. I wish I walked out of there and slammed the door behind me.

I wish I never went to that hellish school.

Don't read ahead. Don't do it.

If the school finds out you know what happened…and you decide to share that information…

It's done for. And they'll know it's me.

Who else could it be?

I'll get punished further. I'll serve a longer sentence. I'll crave death more than I already do.

Please. I'm begging you.

Don't tell anyone.

“I'm glad all of you are willing to do this!” Ms. Landvik's gleeful voice brought a smile to my face. “Now, this is your last chance to back out. You must stay faithful to keeping this case a secret until the police say it's gone public. Then you can do whatever. Though with today's world, I would suggest otherwise. People get pissed if you don't tell them important stuff. I guess.” She giggled.

Gabriella snickered, too. “Who'd give up now?” Her raspy voice filled the air. It was nice to hear, though bitchy as she may be. “A criminal case is exciting!”

Ms. Landvik furrowed her brow. “Gabriella, you don't understand, do you? You're a boisterous girl. I'm aware there may be those in this club less…spontaneous. They say you're smarter the more fearful you are.” Her eyes wavered to Maddie momentarily.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

Our teacher adjusted her long, blonde ponytail and held up a file she picked up from behind her desk. "This is a document that I am entrusting to you all. The NYPD has reopened the case of Yuuna Kurogane after putting it on absence for three years. Should we complete this case with minor help from the department, all of you will have your tuition to Patriotic County paid for by the state government. Isn't it nice to know your taxes are going to some smart kids?"

"Miss Landvik, what is there to investigate? We know Yuuna committed the crime, and all the evidence says such. Besides a trial to ensure her guilt, what else is there to do?" Michelle inquired.

Ms. Landvik snapped her fingers. "Sharp one you are, Michelle. You see, while investigating a crime itself has some dangers, you all will be doing the hardest, but safest job a detective can do. That's finding the motive."

A groan swept the room.

"Didn't one of the Russian kids say that Yuuna was jealous of her friend for getting with some guy she liked?"

"I thought she did it because she was a psychopath and bored."

"I think I heard a bunch of plausible theories from the Indian students. I think both they and the Danes have a club about Yuuna and her motives."

Ms. Landvik huffed. "They do not have all the evidence. The crime only had to be released to the public a week or so after the event because parents grew worried and Patriotic County could not withstand the interrogations and guilt. They didn't tell you about the evidence, though, did they? Just that Yuuna once killed four of her fellow students one day and...that was it. It's not that easy, kids." She shook her head. "This file has the rest of the info, including pictures that were taken a decade ago. Be warned." She plopped the file back onto her desk. 

"You…you mean, there are pictures...pictures of the b--"

"OH MY GOD. NO. I AM NOT LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS!" Gabriella cut Maddie off with her shrill voice. Maddie sighed and lowered her head. I put my arm around her comfortingly.

"You don't have to! I'm sure there are people in here willing to identify them, though. Gabby, you can stick to the intelligence aspect of the case."

"Nah," Michelle butted in. "I vote we make her the bait."

A hushed chatter ran through the room.

Ms. Landvik squeezed her fist shut. "Listen, this isn't a game for you guys to just watch play out. There's rewards and you guys are really special to be doing this! I'd be exceedingly grateful to he NYPD for this."

"No, Rebecka. We are grateful," Michelle said. I never knew why she called Ms. Landvik by her first name. It was disrespectful everywhere in the world. Maybe they're close. I don't know. "I, myself, would like some more information, though."

"Besides what's in the file? Uh...we could all put our heads together and see what we already know...!"

The room seemed to agree with the proposition.

"Alright," Stated Ms. Landvik. I'll go first...Yuuna Kurogane killed four of her fellow Japanese transfer peers ten years ago."

"And the names...the names of her peers were...Kazuko Hishikawa...Akita Takeda...Hiraku Shi...Shimada, a-and Cho Izumi. Killed in that order." 

"Yuuna's family came with her from Japan to New York," Maria added. "Maybe they still live nearby."

"There was actually a mistake in the school's system when it came to her psychology reports," Macey finally spoke up. "She was supposed to attend St. Leo High School and Correctional Facility, but her file was either mixed up, lost, or she was so good at pretending to be sane."

"Ugh, those St. Leo kids are a pain..." Steve muttered. "I ran into one in the mall the other day. I think he growled at me and called me a prep or something."

"Couldn't be. Unless he was accompanied by some burly adult, St. Leo kids aren't let out of their building," Michelle informed.

"Oh man, really? Sucks..." Gabriella commented.

Michelle rolled her hazel eyes. "Are you dumb? Those kids are a threat to society! If they don't attend Patriotic County or whatever local school is in the area, they go to St. Leo. Idiot..."

Ms. Landvik cleared her throat. "There's one final issue I need to address..." She whispered.

"Finally," Michelle sighed. 

"What is it?" asked Maria.

"Yuuna Kurogane is dead. Her body was found hung in the custodian's closet of St. Leo, the school her sister attends. Therefore, you all will be working with St. Leo's docile debate team."

"Sister?"

"St. Leo?"

"Working with?"

"Dead?"

"Closet?!"

Ms. Landvik shook her head. "Too many questions. Let me elaborate," She started. "Yuuna's younger sister, Jinuya Kurogane, attends St. Leo. While school officials say she's fine, the disappearance of her sister has caused them to keep her there. She's been in and out of therapy to make sure she isn't dangerous, but she might be helpful to this. However, she's not on their debate team, so we would have to seek her out on our own. Secondly, yes, St. Leo is working with us. However, their team is perfectly fine and the students on it are not dangerous in any way. In fact, they're some of the most docile students! Some are planned to be released later next year."

My fears settled, but still. Maybe I was a little prejudiced towards these kids. I hoped one of them would be kind enough to debunk the stereotype.

"I hope you all share the document on my desk. Keep that info to yourselves. From hereon, mock trial is the detective's club. We will be meeting every Friday to discuss our findings, and the St. Leo kids will be coming, too. Any other weekday meetings will be scheduled accordingly. You're all dismissed."

Gabriella flew to the file on Ms. Landvik's desk, opening it and then running out of the room, looking like she was about to puke. I gulped as I saw Steve and Macey step to it, opening the file and gazing at it with disgusted looks.

"Yuuna was clearly...relentless," Macey commented. Steve only nodded in agreement.

I gulped and decided to have a look at the file, wishing myself godspeed in not passing out.

Macey saw me peering over and handed me a picture. She looked at the other four in her hand, including Yuuna's from her hanging days before. Steve read through the reports.

I would not had known which student I was looking at if it wasn't for the "Hiraku Shimada" in the corner. The picture was clear, and I felt nauseous looking at it.

Hiraku Shimada was rumored to be the boy Yuuna liked, but I knew the truth. Throughout history, historians and teachers have changed things as they please to avoid normalizing typically scandalous or "wrong" things. Yuuna liked her best friend, Cho Izumi. 

Or faked it, at least. Since Cho was killed by Yuuna in the end.

There's a wise Spanish kid in this school that people go to for information. On the outside, they seem like your average study-buddy, but if you wager some information of yours to them, or someone else's, you can get some real sick deals, especially when it comes to Yuuna and her case.

They told me the relationships between Yuuna and those that she had killed ages ago. Yuuna was best friends with Cho, and there may have been some romantic tension between the two. Hiraku, Akita, and Kazuko were her classmates, and only that, because no one was as close to Yuuna as Cho was. 

Maybe that was why she was killed last.

Was there hesitation in it? Maybe not, but even the Spaniard wouldn't know for sure, because that was a matter of the unknown. Yuuna's thoughts. Her motive. That's all I needed.

We needed.

The picture of the deceased Hiraku displayed a teenage boy on the floor in a typical Japanese school uniform, but one that looked more similar to an over-sized elementary school one than a high school. Nonetheless, his body was in an unrecognizable state. The picture was dated to have been taken five hours after the disappearance of Yuuna, which means no one was watching the cameras or roaming the halls until the Japanese students had been deceased for a little while. They were killed at about midnight, as seen on the camera's time, and no students were out and about during the night, and a school official found the bodies around five-ish.

Hiraku's clothes were shredded in several places, as if cut hastily by scissors. He was on the hallway floor, killed third out of the four. Streaks of blood were behind him, dragging only a few feet. His upper body was almost entirely severed from the bottom half. Bone and muscle was the only remaining parts that held the halves together. Guts were spilled onto the floor beside him, and I could spot his liver easily from the rest of his exposed pink and red organs, coated with globs of blood. Especially the area around his thighs was shredded and cut, to an extent I would assume a butcher would his meat. 

I couldn't see it from the angle the photo was taken, nor because Hiraku was on his stomach when he was killed, but rumor has it his...phallus was severly mutilated in the process. Whether or not it was because of Yuuna or Hiraku's struggle to survive, I may never know.

Macey narrowed her blue eyes in my direction. "You sick yet?"

I shrugged. "A little, but this seems bearable…" I lied. I felt very ill.

Maddie was openly doing the same. She was hovering over Ms. Landvik's trash can, holding onto the edges like one would on a rollercoaster. Michelle stood behind Maddie, rubbing her back while Tang held back her hair.

"Y-You okay, Maddie?" I asked worriedly. She turned around and faced me.

"Yeah," She nodded. "I…I don't think me or Gabriella will be much…much help to this. Sorry, Andresa." She lowered her head.

I frowned. "You don't have to look at the gross pictures to be a good detective. I believe you'll be valuable to this case, Maddie!" I grinned at the smaller girl. "Trust me."

Her dark eyes lit up for a moment. "Thank you, Andresa,” She said, standing up and embracing me.

"Don't puke on me," I joked, hugging her in return. Michelle and Tang looked at each other and mutually, yet silently, agreed they were no longer needed.

"Can I nap in…nap in your dorm after this meeting?" Maddie asked, looking up at me with her watery, soulful eyes.

It would have been hard to say no if I wanted to.

We ditched the club early because of Maddie almost puking, even though she was fine. Macey and Steve had seemed to take control of the whole operation while Ms. Landvik spectated. We had a mighty strange week in store for us. Not only did our case begin, but the St. Leo students weren't exactly on the top of our lists. 

Nonetheless, Maddie and I were on my bed, alone in the Brazilian dorm. I shared that dorm with two other students, both male, but I never really see them, because they're out playing sports like I would be if I could. Sports were never my thing physically, so I never had that mentality that they were important to me.

I was sitting up on the bed with one leg crossed over the other. The small television was on, and Maddie's head was rested on my lap and I fingered through her hair. She made cute noises every time I kinda dug my fingers into her scalp, and before I knew it, she was asleep on me. I turned off the television and carefully moved her so she could lay on the bed and sleep peacefully. I put a thin blanket over her, planted a small kiss in her forehead, and walked out of the room.

She's really my reason to continue making friends with other people. Maddie opened me up to others, even those different than me, even by a little. I treasure a lot, even with her meek flaws and such. 

Would it sound creepy of me to say that she's almost always on my mind? That I really hope I mean a lot to her? 

Maybe I love her?

Probably. So I'm going to get Macey and Steve to give her a good role in this case. She deserves it.

After exiting the room, Tang approached me. She seemed to be intent on something else, despite me being the object of her conversation.

"Andresa," She began, tapping her chin. "How do you get like that with someone?" 

She pointed to Gabriella and Michelle walking down the hallway together. The two were like sisters. Inseparable, offsetting, argumentative, and somehow they still care.

I knew what it was about. Tang had the biggest crush on Steve, and pretty much everyone but Steve knew about it. 

"Gabriella and Michelle are like sisters, Tang," I stated, folding my arms. "Do you want Steve Hangen to be your brother? Because Macey isn't looking for a replacement."

The orange-haired girl pouted. "No! I mean like, close, y'know?" She rolled her green eyes, ones with such a bright hue they challenged the darkness of Michelle's green ones. "I never was close with people. You know that."

I nodded. It was safe to agree, but it wasn't entirely false of a statement. It's not that I didn't like Tang, but I always assumed she didn't really like me. Perhaps she's like that with everyone. Yet, she still talks to me sometimes when in trouble, so it's a start.

"Thank you!" She laughed like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Look, dude, I need a wingwoman to help me with Steve. We're three quarters through this year and if I don't get to grind on him during a dance I will personally let Macey stab me."

"Tang, that's awful, and I think you should just ask him out yourself."

She grumbled. "I suppose so. Whatever, Andresa. Huge help you are…"

Aha! I almost forgot why I didn't consider her a friend. 

"I'll be going after these two sisters or whatever bullshit you call them, eh? If you need me, ask Steve, because he needs to know I exist, and also to see if he knows my whereabouts. I fear he's in the illuminati. See ya, _galinha_!" Tang skipped off down the hallway, twirling a strand of her short hair around her pale finger.

Bitch.

With minimal time until Maddie would probably stir herself awake, I headed back to Ms. Landvik's room. She was no longer in there, and Macey was the only one left. I approached her and the documents she held.

"Pardon?"

I froze. "Uh, just wanted to check up on who was still here…"

"Cool."

"Look, Macey, I need you do to me a solid and give Maddie a really neat role in this thing. You know what she's capable of, right?"

"Mirjam is as pathetic as a boiled noodle, but I have been brainstorming some positions for her anyway, because I knew you'd want me to."

"R-Really?!"

"Aha, yeah, actually," Macey was smiling. "I think she could be our internet gal. Uncovering stuff about Yuuna and her family from social media and news articles. You can help her, but really you can do whatever as you're not needed anywhere specifically. Is that good with you, Andresa?"

I nodded frantically. "Y-Yes, yes! Thank you so much, Macey!" I hugged her tightly. She almost fell back, but laughed over my cry.

"Go tell her so I don't have to repeat myself."

"Yes, ma'am!" I stated, darting off and back to my room.

I slammed open the door and gasped as Maddie jolted awake.

"Andresa, what…what's wrong?!"

"Guess who's got a big role in the investigation of Yuuna Kurogane's motives?"


	3. genesis 1:2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. and the spirit of god moved upon the face of the waters.

A week passed. None of our peers expected a thing from us, and they all assumed that our silly mock trial team was just a club to hang out in, but applying was fruitless. We already had eight members, not including Ms. Landvik and her brother. It was plenty, not to mention the people we'd be interviewing in the future about Yuuna and the St. Leo kids who were coming that day.

Michelle seemed the most irked about their being here. She felt endangered, and I dared not ask why. I couldn't blame her, since we didn't know what these other students had done, but if the police knew about it, there shouldn't have been an issue, right? 

I had a week to think about it. I decided to trust in these kids. Maybe they do deserve second chances. If I screwed up, I would want to be forgiven. I'd change.

The bus from the correctional facility was to come in five minutes. Everyone was in the room, including Ms. Landvik's brother, Officer Lukas Landvik. He was a Norwegian trade student as well, and he attended St. Leo in its early years. He had to be around thirty years old; maybe a little older. If Ms. Landvik was twenty-six, I think, then she's far younger than the Officer.

They didn't look alike. Ms. Landvik had long blonde hair tied in a low ponytail every day with thin, round glasses. She had green eyes and pale skin. The Officer, on the other hand, was darker skinned, with brown eyes and short brown hair in a buzz cut. He hadn't shaved in the past few days, but it was obvious he had tried to, as there were small nicks of blood on his jawline.

The siblings were hanging out near Ms. Landvik's desk, chatting away in Norwegian.

"Lukas! _Hvordan har du hatt det?_ " Ms. Landvik started off, smiling at her scruffy brother.

The Officer lowered his gaze. " _Ikke så god som jeg hadde håpet..._ "

Ms. Landvik tilted her head. " _Hva?_ "

" _Denne situasjonen,_ Rebecka, _er ikke så trygg som vi trodde._ "

Her eyes widened. " _Hva?!_ Lukas, _vi må fortelle student--_ "

"Nei!" The Officer shouted in return. The class fell silent and looked at the two. 

"School rules," stated Michelle. "You have to speak English when in a room of more than one of your own."

The Officer frowned, and Ms. Landvik's eyes were welling up as she gazed over all of us individually.

"F-Fine," The Officer said, and faced back to Ms. Landvik. "Orders from the department say it must be kept secret until everything is sorted out."

"W-Will anyone...get hurt?"

"Probably not, as we believe the only threat is other students finding out about the case and that will... _skader skolen_."

Michelle didn't speak up that time. She probably knew it was best not to intrude any further.

Maria pouted. She was alone in the corner of the room, her spiked, grey bangs like daggers to her face. I stepped around the silent room towards her, and the divers eyes following me sent chills down my spine. It was tense; I could almost breathe in the thick air. Like solidified fog, I was a little choked up. I didn't know what was happening between Ms. Landvik and the Officer. I thought it would be best if I continued not to know.

I never learned, but I think that was for the best.

"Maria," I addressed her, placing a hand on her shoulder, covered by her dorky overalls. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just not my day today," She sighed, making eye contact with me.

Her eyes were red. And her hair was naturally grey. I think she was albino, or just wearing weird contacts and was perplexing and old. Which wasn't the case. She was seventeen. She was slightly tan, which isn't supposed to happen with the lack of pigment I believe she had. It might've been fake, but wouldn't she burn?

I don't know.

"Hey, don't fret about it," I giggled, rubbing my thumb against her cheek. "You do a lot of work as team captain. You did last year, and even if we're not doing mock trial this year, there's no issue."

She faintly smiled. "You're right, Andresa."

It felt good to be acknowledged by the most successful girl in my grade.

Of course, these schools over here had four grades in high school, unlike many others globally. We were juniors, or the third grade in the high school. We were the only juniors in the club, at that. Michelle was the only freshman, Maddie and Tang were sophomores, and the rest, Steve, Macey, and Gabriella, were seniors. 

"I hope I can help you in any way you need me to."

"Thanks a bunch, girl," She said, grasping my hand in hers. "I'm gonna go out for a quick pee. When I get back, let's study the case together. Sound good to you?"

I nodded. "Hell, why not?" 

It felt so quiet as we spoke. The atmosphere was dreary from the Norwegian conversation, and the rumor that only took seconds to be engendered. 

Once she had left, I turned to find Maddie, who was sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. The entire class seemed to be ignoring her. I walked up to her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder, covered by her yellow school uniform.

"A-Andresa?" She asked, turning up to face me.

I smiled comfortingly, attempting to keep almost a maternal attitude towards the situation. "Is something amiss?"

"Eh, I wouldn't bother..." Maddie pursed her lips, averting her eyes back to her desk. "It's just a casual case of...of seasonal depression, I suppose."

It was late January we had started the case. The four students were killed on January 19th; the 20th they were found. 

"I see," I purred, crouching next to her desk. "You're losing motivation?"

"I think so." She stretched her arms out and yawned. "I'm also extremely...sleep...deprived."

"Ha, join the club. You're not missing out on anything since the dawn of time." I rested my elbows next to her. "After this, I'll take you downtown for coffee or something. Then we can go on a caffeine high, and crash together at seven or whenever. It's not like we have to wake up early tomorrow, do we?"

"Unless the Officer schedules...schedules another meeting tomorrow. Or Miss Landvik. They have that...have that authority. Or whomever is in charge of the St. Freak-o kids."

She was right. It's not like I knew what was coming for sure. "Okay. But can we still get a drink together after this? I think, if you don't want coffee, I could take a bottle of something more from one of my friends."

Maddie knew I was referring to alcohol, and though she was not an avid drinker (neither was I), she had avoided drinking with me particularly. I don't know why, exactly, and it bothers me in the slightest, to be honest. She's not a fanatic law-breaker, but she's no Michelle either. 

The level of noise in the room had picked up since then. Macey and Steve were looking over the documents for the thousandth time, and they weren't really letting anyone else see the whole file. Ms. Landvik wasn't speaking up about this, but maybe they told her why, or perhaps she knew it wad for the safety and security of one person. Especially if that conversation with the Officer was as secretive and dangerous and everyone had assumed.

Macey had sensed my presence and turned around to face me. "What do you want, Andresa?" She addressed me formally, closing her eyes as if I was a strain to them.

I puffed out my chest and pointed a finger at her. "Why can't the rest of us see the documents entirely? Do you expect us to band together and hand off the info while you and Steve collect what you've got for yourselves?"

It felt nice to lash out like that, even if it was at a low whisper and didn't consist of a real threat.

Her clean eyes burned lasers into me, but she didn't hold back a response. "I'm not. I'm viewing these for objectification and observations. Steve is writing down possible witnesses or motives. No one's asked to see these files besides you. If you want to see them, just ask me. For real, Andresa…" Macey growled, clenching her fists around the papers she was holding from the file. 

“Ah, uhm…sorry. Sorry,” I apologized, even though I personally believed nothing was wrong on my part.

I had then planned to find Maria and review the files with her. Since she was leader, we could take it from the Hangen twins and go over the stuff we both could handle. 

Leaving the classroom, I realized the halls were very empty. Word must've gotten out about the St. Leo students. Not that I was surprised, but I figured only a few people knew. 

I made my way down the halls to the nearest bathroom. She wasn't there. 

Checked the next one down. Not there.

My suspicions arose. Was Maria that scared of some kids on probation or something? She was strong and determined. There's no way.

I refused to believe it.

That's when my sandals suddenly felt wet.

I looked down to see red coating my toes and sandals. I gagged and fell back, seeing a few drops of blood on the floor. 

I only started shaking when I spotted the body next to it. 

I gasped, trying to choke out anything—a scream, a cry, or words. 

As my momentarily paralyzed body ceased to move, the information I gathered was simple.

Maria was dead.

And I had to get out of there.

I felt my throat clear up and my legs weren't giving out as quick as I stumbled to the classroom. I fell several times on my way there. I had no energy to scream, as if I had lost all emotion in a split moment.

"G-Guys!" I cried out, panting as I reached the doorway with my skin flushed and cheeks wet with sweat.

Ms. Landvik stood up quickly from her desk and darted to my position. "Andresa! What's…what's going on?"

"Ma…Maria!" I collapsed on the floor, my arm outstretched. I presumed the weight and trauma of seeing her like that got to me finally.

I awoke later that day with my head in the lap of a girl wearing a uniform I had never seen before. 

She was a chubby girl, making her a useful pillow while I was out. She had pink hair, tied off to the side in a curly ponytail. Her skin was fair, her eyes too narrow to see a color, and I swore I could see ink from under her shirt collar, which was black, and the shirt fabric itself was a light grey.

"You came to!" She smiled cheerfully. The girl ushered me up, and patted my back. "You feelin' alright?"

It was then I realized she had French braided my hair while I was unconscious.

The both of us were in Ms. Landvik's room. Maddie and Michelle were with us, but they were off in a corner whispering to each other. The door was open, and flashy, red and blue lights illuminated through the school. 

"EMS personnel," Michelle spoke up, adjusting her eyewear. "Honestly, could they be any less subtle than this? It's like they want the whole school to know what went down…"

"What…what happened? With Maria?" I inquired, my glance switching from Michelle to the pink-haired girl.

"Maria Beilschmidt? Your classmate?" The pink girl replied. I nodded, but she only sighed. "By the time my bus got here, EMS had just arrived as well. Apparently, all I've heard is that one of your club members was found dead in the hallway. I don't have minor details, but I'm worried. For the sake of the girl, and for this case. I'm sad, but I hope they don't drop it. I really need to transfer."

"Are you…from St. Leo Correctional Facility?"

She nodded. "Haha, you bet. Our debate team is here to help you guys as like, junior detectives or something. Though we don't get much funding, so we're as useful as you guys, if not less."

When someone talked about the St. Leo Correctional Facility High School, I never imagined its attendees acting like this girl. She seemed so pure and friendly—unlike how a kid on probation should.

"I'm Mary Bridget. I was accidentally sent to the Correctional Facility instead of the actual high school for St. Leo, so that's getting worked out."

Oh.

"Andresa Simone. I hope we uh…get along."

"Same here!"

Michelle approached our duo with her arms folded, followed by a shy Maddie. "Would you two like to come with us to view the tapes in the security room with Lukas and the twins? As for you in particular, Andresa," She snubbed me. "St. Leo's group is performing forensic stuff in the science lab with Maria's body and the evidence found. Everyone else was either sent to their dorms or is managing to scope out something else to do. Don't ask for more info, as I don't know anything. Follow me."

She left the room in a hurry, but something kinda stuck out to me. Why were EMS personnel just rolling with this death? If it was a death, which at that point, I assumed such automatically, then why wasn't the entire ordeal being taken seriously? Wouldn't Maria's family be informed? Wouldn't this operation be shut down? What was the issue with the school system that a student's death could be overlooked in a matter of hours, or however long I was out?

I turned to Maddie, who was pacing slowly behind Mary. "How long was I passed out for?" I asked.

She pondered for a minute before answering, "I think…maybe two…two or three hours. It wasn't…wasn't very long. I learned how to French braid from Mary." She pulled her long, flat-ironed hair over her shoulder to show her braid. I applauded her.

"It suits you. It's cute."

Maddie blushed.

The tiny security room could barely fit the entire group, but I blame most of it on either Mary's or Macey's size. Both of them weren't the thinnest. Not saying they had to lose weight or anything—they were attractive, healthy girls, but damn, you think they'd feel my internal anger at them, right?

The Officer was standing back as Steve clicked through the footage from the cameras in the hallway. He was viewing the same fifteen seconds of tape over and over. It displayed a figure cloaked in black cloths from head to toe breaking through an empty classroom's window and darting from it to the hallway, and then proceeding to restrain Maria using one hand as they injected something using the other hand, which was holding a very large needle. They dropped the needle, along with the quickly limp body of Maria, and left the same way they came.

Then me, mere moments later.

Of course, I should be observing the scene itself, but I looked absolutely awful through these tapes. The quality was awful, and one would suspect it to be better with how surveillance typically was around here.

Clearly the person in the black was able to access certain tabs about the security of the school, or they were simply very lucky, to have no police officers or hall monitors, or anybody, for that matter, around them except their target.  

"Hmm…" Macey stood up straight, arms folded. "I'm assuming we're all asking the same questions, so can someone round up everyone and go back to Miss Landvik's classroom for the next while? We can discuss our findings, and I suggest its best we get the pussies rounded up so we can stay by a newfound creed between our groups. Sound good?"

Macey did not hesitate to take Maria's role as leader, and this pissed me off. She could've waited at least until next week to establish herself as such. I growled under my breath and exited the room, out of the main office, and headed to the classroom, pushing past my classmates cramped with me in that tiny room.

The only person following me quick enough was the Officer. I took a deep breath and faced him as I headed to the class.

"Mister Lukas, sir?" I addressed him that way, a bit unsure considering our relationship between Ms. Landvik. "May I ask you something?"

He nodded, folding his arms. I noticed that he wasn't much muscle-wise, but instead pudgy. He seemed on the very of being overweight, but not there yet. I don't think he ever wore braces. He had several ear piercings I could spot from under his generic cop hat. 

"Can you explain to me what will happen due to the death of...uhm...” I choked on my own words, hating the fact I had to accept the death of Maria. It seemed too surreal. "You know."

The Officer paused for a moment, and stood idly outside the classroom. "I think the operation will continue. It's absolutely tragic, but the only people who will be informed are the school administration, the police department, and Miss Beilschmidt's family. You all signed that form last week, and it cannot be revoked, else the NYPD will lose some of its privileges, as well as the government taking charge of this school and probably closing it down; sending all its occupants back to their home countries. And we don't want that to happen, now, do we, Miss Simone?"

I lowered my head. Something welled up behind my eyes. "I understand, sir. Thanks for answering."

So basically, we all had to continue with Yuuna's investigation, or else we would all be sent back home, most likely without refund. And the school was cooperating with the police and government to cover her death up? What about her friends? Maria's family couldn't sue the school because of that paper we signed, either. It's almost as if the police were prepared for this event to happen, perchance. 

Even if I wanted to question the police about it (under Macey's supervision, most likely), I doubted I'd get answers or even hints. They could just send me away to some red herring to investigate, and I'd comply, because I'm a dumb teenager, and they're the law.

Once the entire group was in the classroom, the Officer just told everyone what he had told me. I noticed the presence of some new students, and they stuck out like a sore thumb with their cheap, asylum-like uniforms.

Ms. Landvik came out from her desk to her older brother's side. "Maybe we could introduce our detective guests to my students? I don't think we're all buddy-buddy...yet...!"

Ms. Landvik was bonkers if she thought that I'd be getting close with these kids so quickly. Mary seemed fine, but it was probably just a lucky break I got to meet the most docile St. Leo student first.

"Uh, okay, that's an idea," The Officer acknowledged his sister, and looked about the room, now full with the entire group sitting together. "C-Can I have the St. Leo debate team come up in its entirety?"

After a few seconds of silence, followed by a collective groan from a few students and shuffling, a line mirroring one I'd imagine death row would look like engendered. Miserable teenage students in black and white uniforms, though one was different from the rest.

If I was taking Mary's story to heart, these kids were probably here to get out of their school. 

She was the only one smiling. She bounced and looked at the group before her. "Uh, I'm Mary Bridget! I like animals, food, games, and debate! I hope we can work well on this project together."

Why? Why was she so happy?

What would've happened to these kids if they just dropped from this project? Weren't they worried for their own well-beings? They weren't in the same situation, so how could they relate to Maria's death like the rest of us could?

A tall, muscular girl was next in line. She had short, blonde hair that was awfully messy, and it covered up half of her face due to such. Her visible eye was brown, and her skin was a little paler than Mary's. If it wasn't for her long skirt and messy makeup, I probably would've mistaken this chick for a dude, that's how manly she seemed.

"I...uh..." She trailed off and looked at her companions before narrowing her eye and standing up straight. Her mannerisms seemed weird. "I'm Elysia...Elysia!" A euphoric rush seemed to fill her body as she fell into a giggle fit. "Aha, I'm Elysia Pichushkin...!" She then embraced Mary in her lanky, yet big arms, and Mary hugged her back.

Next was a kid whose eye I couldn't see as well. I think this school had issues with eyes.

He was a bit taller than Mary's height, being only 5'5" at most, from my point of view. His hair went down to his shoulders, and it was dark green, of all colors. I think this school also had issues on natural hair color, because it seemed Elysia was the only one in the line with such.

He had dark skin, almost the same shade as mine. I could spot white stripes of cloth from under his hair. His spiky, floaty hair. His visible eye was dark blue, and though his uniform was the same--white with a black collar--he had long sleeves. He was the only one with long sleeves, too, and his pants reached the ground, unlike the girls' knee-high socks and their skirts only a few inches higher. The other boys in the line were wearing shorts. It might've been peculiar for other schools, but these kids probably didn't go out much, so I don't blame them for these clothing choices.

"I'm Xuihcoatl Cainbel...yep."

Zwee-ko-tel? Zwei-que-til? What the hell did I just hear?

Another girl was in line. Her hand was on Xuihcoatl's forearm, clasping it very tightly, but he didn't seem to care. Half her head was shaved off, and a patch of black hair was what remained there. The other half was long--reaching her waist--and it was red. I could determine her natural hair color was black.

Her eyes were hazel, and she had an amazing makeup job. Elysia should take notes.

She had skin about the same shade as Maria's was. I think she was Indonesian, but looks can decieve. She also had assets that could rival Gabriella's, but I'd probably go into those fantasies in my dreams that night.

"My name is Deirdre Talula. I hate this school," She giggled and smiled wide. She needed to brush her teeth. And get a less Wizard 101 sounding name.

She looked at Xuihcoatl for reassurance, and he just kinda shrugged and looked the other direction. This made Deirdre pout upsettingly, but she still held onto his thin arms.

The next in line was the one with the strange uniform. His was black with a white collar. The inverted uniform made him stand out. His arms were behind his back awkwardly, but that wasn't the strangest part about his choice of "what should I look like today"?

He had a beanie on. It looked like a beanie, at least, but it was very small and hugged the shape of his head with no excess. It was black and went down to right above his eyes, but those were both covered by his strange hair. 

I'm glad you asked. His hair was a teal or turquoise color and it flipped up on both sides like a mustache. His hair was most likely parted in the middle, and through hairspray, maybe, it managed to stay kinda floating. It would've been about chin-length if straightened. His skin was awfully pale, and he had the scariest aura. Like, looking at him made me shiver.

I have no idea how he could see, but he had a good idea of where we were all sitting. "Call me whatever the hell you want. S'not like I'll be here for long..."

His teammates glared at him. I, too, would probably glare for how uncooperative he seemed. Plus, I think he looks kinda scary, but he couldn't beat me up. He was my height.

I'm 5'3".

The final person in the line was a very tall, very thin boy with neatly bowl cut purple hair. He had a surgical mask on, which was black, and a white hospital eyepatch covering his left eye. His skin was sickly pale--even lighter than that beanie boy's porcelain skin. He seemed unhealthy, and I grew concerned for him automatically.

No, it wasn't based off his skin alone. The hospital gear made me nervous, too. And the way he said his name...

He didn't say anything.

Mary simply crossed over the line and put her arm around his waist. "This is Halwn Benedict. He's really shy, so don't feel offended if he doesn't talk to you, hehe."

I sighed and laid my head on my desk, getting a migraine from just listening to this group. I want out. I really want out. But I couldn't. 

I had both my and Maddie's futures to look out for, and I wasn't going to let some fucked-up pricks in uniform and the death of my peer stop that.


	4. genesis 1:3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and god said, let there be light: and there was light.

"I didn't want to waste my Saturday here. I can't believe they're already starting to make this a weekend thing."

Gabriella was complaining about the frequent meetings we were going to have, but everyone else seemed too bummed to really counter her words. She might've not cared for Maria, but the rest of us were still sensitive and the wounds were still fresh. I had ditched the date with Maddie, and we both went back to our respective rooms, a bit scared for our own lives.

I would've immediately blamed one of the St. Leo students post mortem, but to be fair, I did not know their pasts, nor were they even at the school at Maria's time of death.

Macey was the only other person who seemed okay. Ms. Landvik allowed her to continue the investigation before the rest of us, assumedly because of her established position as leader, and the fact that she would cling to any form of hope at the moment. I know she cared for her students. She did not seem wary of the St. Leo students, and she did not seem to suspect anyone. The Officer had said that the police would be working on Maria's death while we continued our motive research.

I had saw Macey speaking with Ms. Landvik about something. I hoped it was about this meeting, because I think it is a bit untimely considering the situation from the day before. Alas, that was not what she was bringing up. Ms. Landvik stood up from her desk after exchanging a few words with her and stood before our class and the troupe of dyed hair creeps in the corner.

"Macey has brought it to my attention that a video was discovered in the storage room. I don't know who found it, but it appears to be something that was kept from people viewing it, as it was found in a heavily hidden box." She held up a cased CD. "This is a video from the Japanese students, dated January 19, or better known as the day they died. We will be played it here, but we have no idea what's in this video, so please keep that all in mind, alright?"

Murmurs spread about the classroom, but Ms. Landvik did not seem to be in the mood to discern what it all meant. She inserted the CD into a compartment attached to the computer, and the big screen before us was now being projected upon. We saw a video player pop up over the desktop Ms. Landvik had set to a picture of her and her family skiing in Norway a few years back.

The video was only a few minutes long, and it faded in from black. Shaky hands held the video camera one could only assume this was filmed on.

Heavy breathing was picked up, as the camera turned to face the filmer. It was a boy with olive skin and a dark ponytail. He seemed to be of Japanese origin. "I think I got it, Akita-san!" He piped, suddenly smiling.

Giggling ensued from the other side of the camera. "Good work, Kazuko. I'm surprised you managed to remember to buy one of these. I can't wait to look back in the future on this. Yuuna'll love it then, too!" A girl popped into the screen. She had tanner skin, and also seemed to be of Japanese origin. She had light blue hair, but it was very long and braided—I could not see its entire length. Her face also appeared to be wide and pudgy.

"I know, right?" The boy flattered himself. "Hiraku-kun would be proud of me, but I expect you to want that kind of recognition from him instead, am I right?"

Akita, assumedly, pouted greatly. Her cheeks flushed and she shoved Kazuko, who let out a yelp and dropped the camera. The video cut out for a moment, but then returned with a much more stable filmer.

"I got it this time, Kazuko. I know what I'm doing. Go help the girls with the decorations, why don't you?"

The camera showed Kazuko with his arms folded over his white sailor shirt. "You sure, Hiraku-kun? I could always help you say what we're doing!"

"No, Kazuko. Go help Cho and Akita."

Kazuko groaned and stumbled away to the duo of girls in the back who seemed to be hanging banners in their dorm room.

Hiraku turned the camera on himself. He seemed very precise and calm, as I could hardly see shaking in his filmography, even though he was holding it to himself.  
"My name is Hiraku Shimada. It's a day before our friend Yuuna Kurogane's birthday, and we've decided to share this video to whoever finds it, or to our future selves if we remember where it is," Hiraku stated firmly. He had messy hair that was a dark blond shade, though it was likely dyed. His skin seemed paler than the others.

"It's the first time we've been able to express how much we enjoyed having Yuuna around this past year," He continued. "She moved here during February of last year, so we had eleven months to not be able to do much only for her. Now, we've got supplies, and we're going to make this the best birthday ever."

He seemed very intrigued with the topic, and probably enjoyed talking about it, yet Hiraku still spoke as if he was unamused.

"Uh, it's just me, Kazuko, Akita, and Cho in here right now. I have absolutely no idea where Yuuna is."

"I think she texted me earlier!" A high voice called from off the camera. Hiraku turned to film the group. A pale, slim girl with short black hair and a red bandana was speaking. "She's with her family or something. Apparently something about her sickly mom or sister."

Hiraku must've known the topic would probably be too sensitive for the video and turned it to face the rest of the dorm, showing off what had already been decorated.

"Akita's Christmas lights really add a nice touch, even if they burn your eyes if you look for too long."

Kazuko laughed off-screen. "Akita-san will burn your eyes in any way possible. She doesn't want you to see someone like Cho-chan as prettier than h--"

Thump.

Hiraku ignored the fighting and faced the camera to himself. "I-I hope this video was entertaining and not a total waste of time. We'll film the party tomorrow when Yuuna is supposed to get back. Say 'bye', guys."

"Bye-bye!"

"Sayonara!"

"Like and subscribe!"

Hiraku stuck his tongue out and the video turned all fuzzy. It cut to a dark scene after. Everything was quiet, except for the quiet buzz of what appeared to be dying Christmas lights.

There was heavy breathing again from behind the camera. But in a moment's notice, a wailing scream erupted, followed by the dark camera facing a dim light, blinking rapidly. Someone made gagging noises as they choked on something, and the sound of liquid trickling onto the floor was imminent.

The light shown on screen shattered. There was a quick spark, but then nothing. No low hum. No trickling liquids or gags. No more heavy breathing.

Something shuffled. Footsteps chattered on the floor. "I expected Hishikawa to go first," A voice mumbled, almost as if it was speaking to someone else that was not truly there. "Such a pain...of course he'd come after me, too." More shuffling, and more swift footsteps. "Takeda, too. How unfortunate that everyone truly is against me. It's so untimely."

The footsteps became fainter, until they could no longer be heard. The camera stood, filming where the lights used to be, when something grasped it. The hand of whoever had just been assaulted off camera held it weakly.

"G-Go...J-J...Jinu...ya..."

Fade to black.

The video ended.

Macey stood before us all, dumbfounded and fumbling over her words. "I-I...I apologize for that if it had shaken anyone more than we assumed."

Ms. Landvik ejected the CD and stood up from her desk, turning off the projector and shaking her head. "No, Macey, it's alright," She sighed dolorously. "I should've been better prepared for this to occur."

A low groan was emitted from the back of the room. "What should our next course of action be?"

A voice I felt too unfamiliar with was speaking. It was the boy in the dark attire and beanie. He was leaning on his palm; his elbow was pressed against the desk he sat at.

Macey bashfully grinned. "Don't know. Doesn't your school have some evidence the rest of us at Patriotic could go view, Judas?"

He hummed. "Perhaps. Muster up the courage with this clique of yours, Macey Hangen, and you'll be able to survive a day investigating at our facility."

She averted her eyes, but the smirk did not fade. "I'll keep that in mind, Judas. I think my peers would love to come to your school."

I heard someone groan.

I could only agree. They both sounded like a pair of obnoxious teens, but that description was less of a comparison and more of a title.

She turned and glanced at Ms. Landvik. "Is it possible for our group to go to St. Leo? Today would be preferable. Some of us might be busy tomorrow. I've got church, and I know I'm not the only one."

Mary raised her hand. "Me too. It's required at our school. We have to pray away our misdeeds and whatnot."

The Officer, who was in the room only to keep an eye on the delinquents, huffed. "I think it's possible. Their bus is an average school bus size, and there are only six of them. With the rest of you, we won't even be filled. It'd be a pain and a waste of a bit more gas money than I'd prefer to use today..." He scratched his neck and looked at the ground. "...ah well. Line up, kids. Take notes. St. Leo is half an hour away. Load up."

He pivoted out of the room, mumbling incoherent words and shaking his head.  
Macey grabbed a notepad from her desk and looked over at the boy in the beanie. Steve suddenly became standoffish, but did not interfere when she began to speak quietly to him.

She called him "Judas". Was that his name? Or some tragic nickname of sorts? I couldn't imagine parents of a child being sent to a Catholic school naming their kid something like that. He gave me the same amount of chills as a biblical villain would, but he was right here before me, not someone written ages ago in a religious book.

Macey seemed to speak to him very calmly. As relaxed as she was, I knew I wouldn't act the same around him. It made me wonder if she really was leader material, or if she had more acting skills and charisma than I originally suspected. How are you supposed to speak to someone whose eyes aren't even visible?

No matter. I grabbed Maddie's hand and pulled her behind me as we followed the Officer out of the classroom. Our groups followed suit.

I could not imagine what St. Leo could possibly have for us that was new. True, Yuuna's sister went there—I think it was the girl whose name was uttered in the dying breaths of the victim in the video, whom I can only assume was Kazuko, as he was killed in the Japanese dorm, and was the first victim. I could tell from the Christmas lights they had mentioned beforehand that were Akita's.

"Jinuya Kurogane..." I uttered to myself. The poor girl must be going through a rough time. I'm not surprised she's in St. Leo Correctional Facility. Her sister's doings must've put a big sense of trauma inside her; not to mention the hints at an ill mother in the video thanks to Kazuko's big mouth. Little did he know then that his gossipy attitude would provide useful for me and the rest of my club members.

The Officer was standing outside a yellow school bus with its door open. He was on his phone, and just motioned for us to enter without looking up. The bus was parked right outside the main entrance. I turned to Maddie and smiled enthusiastically, even if I felt Maria's death was still too fresh to continue this case, even if we were unable to get out of it no matter the cost.

We both sat in the middle. I feared being too close to people like Michelle in the front, but if the backseat was Judas and his gang of punks smoking weed or something, I'd prefer to be in the middle. Not that I've never smoked weed, but doing it on a school bus, cameras or not, was reckless. Especially considering the presence of the Officer, who probably has a nose like a bloodhound and can smell the devil's lettuce from a mile away.

"You two ladies mind if I sit across from you? I'd love to talk to you, but it's alright if you'd rather me not."

"Hm?" I looked up, and standing in the bus' lane was Deirdre. She was twirling a lock of her deep crimson hair around her finger. The mixed, medium shade her eyes beheld was averted to the floor, but after a few moments of silence, she narrowed her gaze at me.

"You deaf or somethin'?"

I laughed nervously. Maddie squeezed my hand, and I shot her a confident look. "S-Sorry, er, Deirdre. Sure, you can sit. I'd like to get closer to my new associates, after all."

"Whew!" She bursted out chortling, grabbing her stomach as she fell back into her permitted seat. She wiped her face--either tears or sweat was exuding from her face. 

I shot Maddie a look of confusion, and the smaller girl did just the same. She let go of my hand and clutched her fists against her chest. "Uh...M-Miss Ta...Talula?"

It took Deirdre a few moments to cool down. "Oh! Oh God!" She was smiling wide as she laid back lazily against the uncomfortable seats of the bus and panted, her cheeks red. "I-I gotta be honest, I was not expecting that answer."  
I wasn't sure if she was just crazy, or if something funny happened I was unaware of.

"Uh, okay," I said weakly, looking around the bus again. The Officer seemed to be chatting with Ms. Landvik. Most of the students were sitting already.

"Look, uh, what's-your-face, I'm just trying to be cool and aloof when I'm making new friends. In reality, I'm anxious as all Hell." She was blushing. "Thanks for letting me sit here."

I was unfamiliar with this overwhelming sense of gratitude she was giving me. I had only done what any polite person would have.

"Ehehe..." Maddie was giggling. She leaned against the window, staring outside. "She's f...funny."

I nodded in acknowledgement of her statement. I didn't really see it, though. I was moreover confused.

"So, what's your names?"

I cleared my throat and brushed back some of my pesky hair behind my shoulder. "I'm Andresa Simone, a Brazilian transfer student. This is Maddie Rakotomalala, from Madagascar."

"Ah, Andresa? Quite the powerful name. You an Aries?"

I rolled my eyes, a little bothered by this girl's train of thought. "I'm a Virgo. September 7th."

Deirdre seemed relatively shocked by this as the bus started up. "I see...is your friend there...Maddie...a Cancer?"

She shook her head. "No. I-I'm a joke."

"She's an Aries. April 1st."

"Hah, oh, was I off! I'm a Sagittarius. December 2nd."

This conversation was going nowhere.

"Great. Cool." I had no choice but to speak with her harshly. 

She seemed upset suddenly. I hated to inquire, but if I didn't, Maddie might have gotten annoyed, or Deirdre might have done something reckless.

"Are you okay, Deirdre? You seem upset."

"Heh, am I really that transparent?"

Yes.

"I-I don't know. Do you want to talk?"

"To be fair, I don't know you well. I don't know what you'd want to speak to me for, and I don't think I could trust you. But..." She peered out down the lane to the back of the bus where the rest of the St. Leo students, Macey, Steve, and Gabriella sat. "Hmph. It's not like it will be new information to anyone. You don't mind...right?"

I had no choice, really. Maddie was groaning beside me, since every time she lay her head against the window, the bus would go over a bump and she'd smack her forehead against the tough glass. I didn't want to set a bad example for her, and I did believe it was the right decision. 

"I won't tell anyone about this if you don't want me to, Deirdre."

Her eyes slightly lit up, as if presented with the face of hope in a trying time.  
"My, uh, mom has been all up in my case lately. Hate to make this a sob story, but it's because of her I ended up in St. Leo, bunking with schizos and dining with freaks." She scratched the back of her neck. "She fucked some trailer park junkie seventeen years ago. Dumb as bricks she was, bein' a teenager and hooking up with my dead uncle's friends. She birthed me later that year, and did a helluva good job stayin' away from drugs and shit while pregnant, because I was healthy as can be. But you bet your bottom dollar that didn't last, hm?

I gulped. This sounded like it was going in a bad direction. "Er, taking into considering how this story has been progressing, yes."

"Damn straight, Andresa," Deirdre spat. "Turned into a druggie herself. Oh, single, too, and I could barely walk without getting high off the scent of her weed and shit. The house was smoky and smelled worse. When she sent me off to elementary school, the other kids made fun of me for how I smelled. We didn't shower often, because she was cheap when it came to water and electricity bills, since she worked at the convenience store.

"You'd think she'd be trying her hardest to keep me around, but I was abandoned at my school on several occasions. She'd come pick me up when the administration threatened to call the cops. I'd buckle myself into my booster seat, which only held packages of who-knows-what in it, and go home.

"Of course, she had offered these things to me many times before, but I declined, assuming it was vegetables or something. Yet...I think she was trying to sheild me from proper abuse or something that she'd unleash...which never happened physically or verbally. She was just neglectful, and uh...yeah. In the end, I got hooked, and my school sent me to the facility. I'm okay, though. I've done drug therapy or whatever it's called too many times to count, so as long as I succeed in this case, they'll let me go to the real St. Leo, and I'll graduate, live a better life than my mom, and hopefully end up in a stable relationship with the boy I like." She leaned on her palm, in a dreamy daze. It seemed cute.

"I-I see," I mumbled, not really feeling like perusing further into her personal life. As curious as I was, I knew my limits, but if she was obviously willing to share, then I was just dense. 

"Xuihcoatl is...special in his own way. I really like him, and I've known him since childhood. Even before he had his cool hair and...casualties...I really think he was the one for me, and I still feel that way."

"How did he..." I trailed off, assuming she would pick up on what I was hinting at.

"He hasn't told me directly, but anyone with a twisted enough mind can tell just by looking at him. Come on, Andresa, take a closer look..." She peered around the seat to face him. Xuihcoatl was facing backwards, chatting with the rest of his crew. I squinted my eyes. What could she possibly be referring to?

I felt in my gut it had to do with the long sleeves. It was cold outside, but most of our uniforms are simply suited for indoor classroom discussion. I think the whole eye thing was either irrelevant or something entirely different. 

"I think," I began, feeling a lump in my throat. "I don't know, but..." I sighed, looking towards Maddie, who seemed just as dense. "Sorry."

Deirdre didn't seem affected. "As expected of someone who was probably just raised in poverty with a tight-knit family."

I gasped. "Excuse you, cake-face, I'd prefer you not blame my past for my ignorance when it comes to shit like this." Her lashes were absolutely enviable, but it was the one thing I could truly insult about her.

Nonetheless, she laughed snootily. "Andresa, I'm just pulling your leg. But maybe you didn't feel it with all the extra...junk on you."

I growled under my breath. She was heavier than me! I held onto Maddie's arm for a sense of comfort before I spoke again. "Look, Deirdre, this is unnecessary. It's unfortunate I don't realize Xuihcoatl's dire situation, most likely, but there's no reason for you to go and insult my history just because it's probably different than yours."

She didn't speak for a few seconds. She only eyed me up with what I now saw to be very intoxicating eyes. She smirked, her thick lips curling upwards as her untouched lipstick glossed up her doll-like appearance already. "Alright. Sorry, hun. I usually don't go off like that."

I lowered my head and let go of Maddie, who I now saw was on the brink of tears--a common situation for her. I cocked my head towards her. "What's wrong?"

"Xuih...Xuihcoatl. I...I know what h...happened to him."

I had to do a double take. How could she know? I knew everything about her past; she didn't keep much a secret from me. Was she only more observant than me?

Deirdre huffed, satisfied. "Good work, Maddie. I can tell she's smarter than you take her for. Aren't you dating or something? You shouldn't think so lowly of your girlfriend, Andresa."

I pouted. "We're not dating...! A-And even if we were, I don't think lowly of her. I never would. She's smart, even if she's a young soul. Maddie is a blessing, y'hear?"

The faux redhead rolled her eyes. "We all have our own blessings. My mom used to call drugs a blessing; God's gift. I think most would seem to disagree, so don't think you're like, different than other girls or some shit."

A terrible conversationalist, insulting being, and her only positive aspect is her appearance, I did not feel like speaking much more to Deirdre. 

I faced Maddie entirely, my knees pointing inward the seat, as to let Deirdre know I was done without formally giving a goodbye. 

"So...what is it about Xuihcoatl?"

She sighed, looking down at her brightly clothed lap. "Next...Next time you speak t...to him...ask him to...show you...under...h...his slee...sleeves."

I nodded. "O-Okay, okay."

She still seemed to be crying, but not making any noise. I rubbed a tear off her cheek and pressed my nose against her skin, my mouth close to her ear. "You don't have to think about it."

As little as I knew about it, I could tell if it was something that could make a young adolescent end up in a correctional facility, it certainly was difficult to process, especially to someone as weak-hearted as Maddie. 

The bus grew to a halting stop. "We're here, kids," The Officer shouted back, coughing on something--probably a cigarette or a toothpick.

Maddie winced as the back of the bus stormed forward. Those kids absolutely reeked, so clearly there was no weed back there, or they would be upgrading their scents. 

"Let's go," I announced to her, rubbing her cheek again, solely with my thumb. Deirdre shot up as well, giving me a dirty look, before preceding her fellow St. Leo students. Maddie and I got up, as the last students, and I held her hand as we exited the bus. 

"Okay, A-Andresa."


	5. genesis 1:4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and god saw the light, that it was good: and god divided the light from the darkness.

Maddie and I were following the group from far behind, with only Ms. Landvik following us as the Officer led the pack.

I had only heard of St. Leo. Though Patriotic County is mere miles outside the city, the ride from there to here was surprisingly short. St. Leo seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. From the looks of it, though, it seemed like a college. Ivy grew up the stone walls that was called an entrance. Students in uniforms differing from those in the debate team with us joyously played around outside the brick building with wooden, castle-like doors reaching heights of about eleven feet. These students did not have dyed hair, and their uniforms were modest and monochrome, save for the ribbons and ties that flashed a bright blue. Some sat under the oak tree that grew on one side of the school grounds, and some others played tag as if they were still children. Others were reading from thick textbooks, and some strange student was smacking baseballs his friend threw to him; nearly hitting the windows.

The building was vast, and though Patriotic County has only four floors (we are a very large school with around five thousand students), St. Leo did not do us justice. This building, though small areas per floor, stretched very high--thirteen floors at least! My eyes widened, and some of the school ground students looked up from their tasks and frowned. Our outfits seemed dull and poorly made in comparison to the pristine attire of these kids. I looked to the Officer, but he only kept walking around the stone gate. I raised an eyebrow--wasn’t this the entrance? Maddie seemed to follow his steps cluelessly, but maybe it was because I had never been here before. I had never done sports or performed before the mock trial team of St. Leo (I got “sick” and couldn’t go). Yet I found it hard to believe that students being so sociable and bright could find themselves in a correctional facility. Does it cater to normal students as well?

As we turned the corner of the smaller-than-expected schoolyard, I gulped. Gloomier trees hung over the barely covered shrubs growing along the stone wall. There was another gate further down. We all slowed our walking, since there was a path through the grass, but it was only made by footprints matting down the wet green. I shivered, and though it was not snowing, the temperature had definitely dropped below freezing, and I was there in short sleeves and a miniskirt. Sometimes I wish the school would put more funds towards winter attire rather than year-round ones. It’s not like it got very cold in Brazil, so we had no need for winter clothes, so here I am, stuck with the same South American uniform 24/7. Gabriella, though from Central America, still wore the same design, as her former school’s mandatory uniform was similar to mine. And hers was two sizes too small, since she recently went through, like, a second puberty, and refuses to ask for more clothes because it means more out of her pocket. So her naval barely went uncovered beneath the light grey shirt and her dark thighs were not kept hidden with her smaller (be I holier-than-thou) army green skirt.

Maddie was lucky, While she was not particular to the cold either, at least she had long pants. Even if the color was very bright, I favored it on her. Xuihcoatl seemed enviable, even if the reasoning behind it was impure or something beyond my current knowledge. His dark and foreboding clothes, though covering much of the unknown to me, were beguiling compared to the chill.

The gate had not vines of ivy, but poison ivy on the grass around the stones that surrounded this second entrance. A separate brick building was beyond the back, metal gate. Rust was forming on it, and it seemed as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. Opposed to the opening, welcoming gate at the front of St. Leo, this one was locked poorly, with an old fashioned, large keyhole. The Officer approached it and took out his keychain, and one was particularly more eye-catching than the rest. It, too, was black and rusted, but bits of gold tinged the ends, like it was renewed from its prior elemental state.

He fumbled with the lock a little bit, grunting and wiping sweat off his forehead (to which I wondered how he could possibly be sweating in this weather) before the lock popped open. He took it off and pushed open the heavy gate. With a grunt, he pressed his back to the bars to keep it open as we all went into the courtyard beyond, and he then darted in with us as the gate slammed closed, locking itself automatically.

The Officer wiped his hands on his pants. “Let’s get going,” He announced, leading the group into this foreign building.

Upon entering, I had a blast of warm air blown into my face. My bangs were pushed into my eyes, and I wiped them out of the way as I took in my surroundings. The halls were...empty. Symmetrical classes aligned the walls. I peered into one, and students donning the same clothes as people like Halwn and Deirdre were in there. Some looked at me and grimaced, while others stayed aloof. It must’ve been my different uniform.

Judas came up behind me and looked in as well. I blinked, and the entire class seemed to have a change in attitude. Most kids still didn’t care, but one in the front row nervously waved to him, and another flashed a cheesy smirk, to which the teacher standing before the board whipped his head and looked at us, and upon seeing me, shook his head and returned to the lesson.

Standing in a cluster around the Officer, who was proceeding down the hall, still, was Tang, Michelle, Macey, and Steve. The four seemed to be asking him questions, and he was appearing to be growing increasingly irritated. He rubbed his temples and stopped in his tracks on his way to the closet wherein Yuuna died and faced Macey. “Ask me one more time a useless, dumb question and I’ll drop this case, leaving the rest of you to the mercy of Maria’s killer!”

Macey’s eyes, so pale of hue, widened. “S-Sir, if we offended you, I didn’t-”

“Can it, dirtbag. You don’t understand what it’s like on my side of things. You’re all just kids, you know that? The real world isn’t afraid to spit at your feet and insult you. It’s dangerous, and the world isn’t a big metal detector to take away knives and such to keep criminals at bay. I’m more vulnerable than all of you ungrateful brats.” He looked into the window of a classroom, and many of the visible students stiffened at the sight of a policeman.

I was awfully shocked. Did St. Leo really do that much of a number on this guy? Why was he suddenly so pissed?

I glanced at Macey, and though she was sweating, she did not look fearful. In fact, there was this enigmatic sense of sagaciousness surrounding her, as if she knew the Officer’s motives. I trusted my gut and her faith that we weren’t dirtbags in his eyes.

The group fell silent after his harsh words, but he only continued to walk; metal keys jangling against his side. He adjusted his dumb hat on his dumb head and sighed. As he left the radius my whispering voice could reach, I looked over to Maddie and she was quaking. I rubbed my hand against her shoulder and held her there as we continued to walk behind the others in this troupe.

“Andresa, I...I don’t like it when h...he…”

“Thhhhh…” I shushed her. “It’s gonna be okay. Macey knows what she’s doing.”

“Why did...did you say ‘Thhhh…’ instead o...of ‘Shhhh…’?”

“It’s quieter. It makes more sense.”

She giggled at my basic remark. “T-Thhhh…!”

She stuck out her tongue a little as she did it. I squished her cheek and let go of her arm and scooted ahead. Macey still led the group with a small posse of a mix of Patriotic’s and St. Leo’s students tagging behind.

The Officer was standing at a closet near a back entrance to the school, but it seemed locked. Yellow tape covered the door both inside and out. It was near an administration’s office, with a collection of new and old security cameras aligning its exterior. On the other side of the hallway, there was a gate closing off that half from the rest, wherein a dark hallway extended out, and only a few lights from within parallel classrooms were lit. The Officer fumbled with his keychain again, before selecting a fairly newer key--this one, silver. The closet itself had “Custodial” engraved upon it, save for the less professional graffiti markings along the lines of “Louis was here” and “Margaret + Lex 4 lyfe!” and some vulgar expressions of...particular shapes.

He unlocked the door and opened it.

Tang shrieked, but there wasn’t a body in there.

“Tang,” Steve stated, “The actual body is in the morgue. Why the hell would it be in here, hm?” He sounded annoyed, which I’m not surprised on his part. Tang was that kind of being. Especially towards him.

The Officer backed up from the closet and called over Macey. She raised an eyebrow and followed his silhouette as he trekked near the closed off hallway. She followed him, arms tucked behind her back, and sucked in her gut. They chatted away quietly as the rest of us looked in amazement at the dark closet or attempted to eavesdrop.

I figured that it was pointless to attempt and overhear Macey and the Officer. After all, she kinda was our leader now, and it was her responsibility to inform us of all she knows about this case and our wellbeings. Save for that conversation that occurred before Maria’s death and the arrival of the St. Leo debate team between Ms. Landvik and the Officer, nothing has been hidden from us. I hope.

As Yuuna’s body has been taken away, the rest of the closet, evidence and all, was left as is. It made me fear for the future success of this case, as tampering with evidence was not unheard of, and I cannot say for sure that not all of us here are not filled with corruption and desires of the unholy sort. Then, I saw an opportunity.

“Let me see the closet first,” I announced, gently pushing back some of the taller students around me. “Oi, listen up!” I shouted, garnering the brief attention of Macey, whose eyes were still bright in the dark. “I find it very important we were all left in charge of reviewing and gathering evidence from this case, wherein it could be just as easy if the police did it on their own accord. Therefore, I can only say it is detrimental we work together and try not to push anyone’s buttons. No fighting should happen. We gotta stay strong and...and…”

Their eyes burned into me as they awaited my next sentence.

I felt a watery substance cascade down my cheek. “...we have to. We just do. For Maria’s sake. For my own. Because we’re not here to pass the time. We knew what we signed up for, and it’s only been a few days. We won’t let our schools down. Our teachers, parents, siblings, or...ourselves, I guess.” I quickly checked for Macey’s assurance, but she and the Officer were deep within their own conversation. I wiped my eyes. “I...uh...yeah. Let’s stick together on this, o-okay? There’s a lot of us, so we might not all have jobs to do, but I don’t want that number to go down any further. Uh...yeah.”

I bowed my head and shuffled away from the group, but I could still sense their attention on me. A malevolent intent dwelled within that room, and it felt like fire. But that fire, I thought, was only me. I was the malevolent intent. Not purposely, but by these means, I was an outcast. My will was different than everyone else’s. I was not selfish enough to do this only for myself, or obsessive enough to only for Maddie. Or clingy to my family, or hopeful to my future. I saw myself doing this also for God, because He can stop these deaths of innocent classmates amongst me. I have that faith, and I prayed it would not let me down. Something is here to protect me. A sapient being, more sapient than you or I.

“Divine!” Macey called out, clapping her hands slowly. “How wondrous! Our own motivational speaker.”

I hadn’t even noticed her being done. I swore she was just over on the other side of the room, too.

I pursed my lips. “ _Thanks_ , Macey. I can always rely on you to be so, so kind towards me.” I didn’t understand why I grew so bitter, but the group picked up on it. Macey’s comments seemed genuine, but I knew the truth. She didn’t want me to take charge. She wanted all that power. I know she was hopeful for her future of being something stupid, like a lawyer or whatever, but we were supposed to work together, like I had stated. I gulped, and immediately regretted my comment. “Er, uh, yeah. Yeah, I can. A-Anyway, we should…”

“We should continue, right. Good thinking, Andresa,” Macey sputtered, standing beside me and the Officer strayed back with his sister. “Guys, both Andresa and myself will observe this and point out notes. I would like Maddie and...hm…” She browsed the group. “...Maddie and Tang to come here and write down our individual points as scribes. They may not transpire with each other. These points will be targets of discussion later on. Of course, Maddie will work alongside Andresa, and Tang with myself.”

I perceived why Macey would be doing something like that. She wanted any excuse to keep Tang away from her brother. Steve was just kinda sitting around, and I knew he wasn’t the brightest, either, but he still was useful. Unfortunately, his experiences with Tang most likely drained him of his motivation to continue being in the mock trial club; yet he still came back that year. I blame Macey, since the two seem to have some sort of wild history as twins. Like, maybe their parents died, or they’re both dual serial killers, or they used to be conjoined and were split but since they can’t forget the awkwardness of first kisses, dates, or times. I’m pretty sure they’re identical twins, anyway. I don’t know the rules of being twins biologically, but I swear either Macey or Steve told me that at some point. I’m not surprised, either. Their faces are basically the same, and the only reason I can tell them apart is from their figures and hair. Macey’s hair was exceedingly long, as opposed to Steve’s short and sleek look. And their outfits differed as well, yeah, but Macey’s deep blue Catholic school dress and Steve’s slightly unbuttoned button-up with his grey tie did not garner much difference in the end. They both dressed like the kids we saw in the front of St. Leo in the crowded schoolyard, but still a little different. Macey was curvy with feminine, round shoulders and a tinge of plumpness on her hips and legs. Her other assets, let me just say, were not much disparate. Steve was just as tall as her, which is quite tall (just under six feet, I believe), and though muscular, still had an aspect of femininity in his shoulders and hips. Which was fine--if anything, it made him more attractive. I could see why Tang would want to be with him. He’s not really my type, though.

The rest of the group, disappointingly to them, had to sit around elsewhere and discuss things such as how Maria’s death may be connected to this case, the video, and Yuuna’s motives--our original assignment and ultimate goal. However, I had to keep my attention squarely on the closet. It was a blessing Macey selected me, because she could have easily discarded me aside and picked her brother or someone she liked more or was smarter. Like Judas or the Officer or Michelle, I suppose.

We both peered in, less adverse, and I heard a low hum from her throat. Our note-keepers stood a few feet behind the both of us, pencils and notepads in hand. There wasn’t much that popped out at me, but with careful and meticulous observation, I knew I could get to the bottom of this.

A rope, thick and sturdy, hung from a bar six feet off the ground. Macey would’ve almost bumped her head on the bar if she entered the closet. The closet itself was small, seeming to be only five by five with a ceiling reaching about seven and a half feet. There were assortments of cleaning materials, such as mops, brooms, dust pans, clothes, buckets, soaps, signs, and items not inherently custodial, such as the rope. Save for that rope, hung as a noose that was tied together very cursory, there was a bucket kicked over on its side near the rest. However, this bucket was not stacked neatly like the rest, thus making it a point of interest. The inside of the noose part of the rope was very smooth and matted, like something heavy had rested upon it for a period of time, for example, a person’s neck. Shoes also laid on the ground, and they seemed to be American size seven. Brown material--dirt, I believed--was coating the underside, as the floor underneath was dark as well. Thin strands of hair were stuck in the dirt.

Maddie covered her mouth behind me. I turned around to face her.

“Are you okay?” I asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head. “I-I’m...I’m gonna use the b...bathroom…” She sniffled, and turned around to enter a unisex bathroom right across the hall. However, I would not let a lack of notes faze me. I directly my attention back to the closet and Macey.

Nonchalantly, Macey was speaking to Tang as if they were best friends. She muttered words in her ear, and Tang scribbled stuff down, and then Macey would giggle or something. I clenched my fist, irritated that she was so calm in a situation of utmost importance.

“Andresa, doll,” Macey bit her lip, shielding a smirk from my immediate view. “Pick up those shoes for me.”

I hated the possibility of screwing with the crime scene, and I hated even more the concept of doing chores for Macey, but it was a place to start, and I had to get a move on. I gulped and squatted to the ground, reaching out my hands to pick up the left shoe. I confirmed its size, and decided to investigate the actual type of shoe it was. It was so worn and dirty that I had a difficult time.

“I think it is some kind of sneaker,” I chatted, squishing some of its fabric between my fingers. “It’s used and torn in several places. And this dirt…” I flipped over the shoe and carefully dragged my finger along the coated crevices. “Some of it is newer than the rest. But the new kind could easily be cleaned off. The older dirt seems...ages old. Like, it’s really crammed in here.”

Macey huffed and looked at Tang, who, without a single word, wrote down my statements. “What about the shiny hair?”

“Oh, right,” I said, squinting as I plucked the few pieces of hair tucked underneath the fresher dirt. “It’s...orange and brown. Like, two separate colors, and not a gradient.”

Tang tapped her cheek with her implement. “What did Yuuna look like, again?”

Macey perked up. “Landvik?” She called out.

The Officer turned from whatever business he was discussing with Ms. Landvik and took off his hat. “Yeah?” He ran his fingers through his hair.

“What physical description can you possibly and graciously provide us of Yuuna Kurogane?”

He paused for a moment and donned his hat again. “Uh, off the top of my head, at the time of her death, she was a pretty girl. She had olive skin and brown eyes. Her hair was orange and long. Her corpse was found with those sneakers underneath her hanging body,” He pointed to the one in my hand, to which I placed down slowly and clutched onto the few strands of hair. “And she was wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail with a sturdy elastic. The fabrics of her clothes were gray and black...does that help?”

Macey nodded. “Indeed.” She brushed back part of her own hair and approached the congregation of St. Leo delinquents. “What did Jinuya look like?”

Halwn’s violet eyes lit up, and he turned to Mary. Mary giggled, and stared back at him for a moment. “Jinuya Kurogane, hm? She wasn’t in our classes, but from the looks of her last year school photo and descriptions I’ve heard, she’s similar to her sister. She’s got shorter hair than her sis, but it still reached her shoulder blades and back. It was a natural light brown, and she has a streak of orange in her bangs for the sake of remembering her sister. I don’t know if that’s something she’s always had or something she got after Yuuna’s death, though. No one’s really seen her. At least, none of us.”

The rest of the cluster nodded in agreement.

I just stood there with a few pieces of hair between my damn fingers like a dumbass, staring daggers into the back of Macey’s head.

Macey turned back to me. “Go give those hairs to someone else to keep. It’ll be their responsibility, then. And we can continue investigating, and then I have an idea.”

I rolled my eyes, almost subconsciously speaking a “Yes, Ms. Hannigan” before stopping myself. “I gotcha, Macey,” is what I spoke, and what sufficed. I trotted over to Deirdre, figuring since she had a pocket in her shirt, and made her hold out her hand. I put the hair in her hand and narrowed my gaze. “Do not lose these.” I then turned on my heel and sped away back to the closet.

“I’m thinking the bucket is what Yuuna stood upon before her suicide.”

“Me too,” Tang added.

Macey did not feel the need to converse with Tang.

“Hey, Macey,” I spoke up. She turned to look at me, while I continued. “Why do you want to know what Jinuya looks like?”

“Besides the fact it might be useful knowledge?” Macey placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “I can’t help but find it odd she killed herself in the same school her sister attends. Even if it’s only because the two are siblings, Jinuya is definitely involved in this case. I think Yuuna probably wanted her attention, if they have not had contact since Yuuna ran away a decade ago. Jinuya, maybe, didn’t give her this; I don’t know why or how, but in the end, this was Yuuna’s solution. Jinuya is involved, and I want to know how.”

“Well, where is she?”

“Didn’t someone say she’s been in and out of school and a hospital? If she hasn’t been seen here,” Macey motioned to Mary and her gang. “Then she’s obviously there.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Are you implying something to further this investigation?”

“Implying?!” Macey chortled. “I am blatantly stating it! Once we’re done with this, we’re gonna find Jinuya and talk to her! Interrogate her! Comfort her! She’s clearly not having a good time.”

I looked at my feet. “Right, my bad.”

Tang softly laughed alongside Macey. “Of course. Asking for forgiveness like this. Andresa, don’t ask stupid questions!”

Macey smacked Tang’s arm. “Take notes like I told you to.”

Tang quieted down and did as told, trying to quickly summarize our conversation in her notes.

I hesitated before speaking again. “The tipped bucket…”

“That’s probably what she used to hang herself.”

Gabriella sauntered over to the two of us. “So she literally kicked the bucket?” She laughed, and Macey bit her lip.

“How childish,” She spoke, “Making jokes about the death of someone. I understand she was a terrible person, but don’t speak so ill when you know so little of our case.”

Gabriella’s eyes widened. “I-I understand, sorry, Macey,” She stuttered, stepping back and awkwardly making her way into the same bathroom Maddie was hidden in.

I focused back to the scene. I couldn’t let these distractions deter me so much.

Which brought me to the idea—what if Maria was one of them? A distraction. From something else.

But what? Who would want a distraction from this case so badly that they would go to lengths such as murder to achieve it? All of us here stood to gain something from this, whether it be free tuition or experience or freedom and liberation. Why would someone try and infringe this right--this privilege of theirs--only to come out losing? I couldn’t see anyone, even the psychopaths in this room with me, commit such a crime against Maria and Patriotic County. Besides, it was impossible for any of us to kill her. The St. Leo students were on the bus heading here, and Maria had gone to the bathroom alone. Unless one of us snuck out, or the St. Leo students and the Officer are lying or false, none of the students here could have ended Maria Beilschmidt’s life. That was the truth to me; I didn’t see it any other way. I doubted it, though. The Officer appeared to be a very just man.

“There’s…” Macey paused and folded her arms, staring at the floor of the closet with a disdainful grimace. “...nothing left of note here. Unless the police have discovered something and have yet to inform us of it, I don’t believe this was worthy of our time. We spent more effort on the bus than in here, for Christ’s sake.”

She pivoted away and opened up the door to the bathroom and shouted into it. “We’re going elsewhere and the investigation here is over.” Macey gave the Officer a soft stare and jerked her head down the open hallway. He briefly gathered the remaining students and ushered them away as Gabriella and Maddie followed a few steps behind.

Before I followed, I checked one more thing: the comparison between the inside and outside state of the door. The outside was easily accessible and vulnerable to graffiti, hence the markings on the outside that were not doing my eyes a favor. The inside, however, was clean and unscathed. At least, it appeared that way until I opened the door all the way, as we had not done. I pressed the doorknob against the wall and dragged my finger along what seemed to be marks from fingernails in the center of the door. I bit my lip and tried to press into them--they felt thick enough to be marks from human nails. Though, it could be anything else. However, with the knowledge that Yuuna was hung at about the same height, it could easily be her markings. But why? This is clearly a sign of struggle, but what would scratching the door do for her? How would that help her suicide? Unless there’s a missing piece of evidence, I could not think of a way in which these marks mattered. I grunted and tugged on the doorknob again, gently closing the closet and following the rest of the group several paces behind.

What startled me most on the way back was the scene I came upon when turning a corner. The rest of the group was walking out the doors on the other end, which was about one hundred feet away from where I stood. In the middle, like a partition, a boy was cowering on his knees and rocking back and forth. An adult with a nametag--presumably a teacher or administrator--stood next to him, leaning against the wall. The teacher had a cigarette tucked in his wedding ring, and he’d casually lift it to his lips to use it, like he was itching his face or something, and would then drop his hand back to his side as he smoked.

I picked up my walking speed before the boy suddenly stopped rocking and wailing. He was looking up at me between these box braids that were covering his face like overgrown bangs. He pointed to me; his finger was shaking. He called out, “Injustice, injustice,” in a shaky voice that grew louder and louder with each syllable. I stopped my paces and stood directly before him. The teacher shook his head and crushed the cigarette between his pointer and middle fingers. Most of his fingertips were black, with a few having red marks on them that looked like a little kid scribbled on his hand in marker, reminiscing blood or something. He, only scanning me once, left without a word, sauntering over to a small trash can at the end of the corridor.

The boy had tears evidently flowing from his face, though he showed no signs of making any other noise. He reached over and pinched the fabric of my sock. “God save you,” He preached, shivering like there was a chill I did not know of. “Let the dead bury the dead.”

“W-What…?” I backed up and shook the poor kid off my leg. “Uhm, right,” I coughed, but the kid only began to wail again.

“Injustice! Injustice for the dead!”

He stared at me. I looked beyond the hair covering his face. He had raccoon eyes, and I almost started heaving at how defined and dark they were. I covered my mouth and began quaking where I stood, but the boy only wailed on and on. As he moved and spoke, that was when I saw a large section of his head on the side that had no hair. It was clearly shaved, as it looked unnatural, but the area was also purple in hue, and formed a dent into his head. It was an area of flesh that was stitched back onto his head, as the skin around the dent and the purple seeped blood.

I whined, turned away from him, and darted down the hall. I couldn’t look at him anymore. I couldn’t stay here, nor ever come back. A school where the students looked unfit to be attending class and where the teachers seemed to hold free reign over whatever they pleased was not a place for me.

Speeding past the revolting teacher, I busted through the doors at the end of the hall in due time to quickly hop onto the bus. Everyone had been waiting for me.

“The hell were you?” Gabriella asked, running a hand through her short hair.

“S-Sorry,” I apologized, sauntered further into the bus to sit with Maddie. “I had to use the bathroom really quick.”

Macey, still in the very back of the bus, was also watching me, in a manner similar to the boy in the hall.

“Well, I think that is everyone…” Ms. Landvik announced, turning to her brother behind the wheel. “Shall we get a move on?”

“Mm,” He hummed, starting up the bus and closing the door we all went through. I tracked down the seat Maddie was in, only to find Deirdre sitting on the outside.

I frowned at the girl, but she just continued staring at Maddie, who seemed oddly warmed up to her.

“Hey, Deirdre, can I sit with my friend?”

She craned her neck towards me. “I don’t know, can you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, if you’re going to be like this, just say so. Maddie and I can move elsewhere. Right, Maddie?”

I looked at her in the window seat, but she quickly averted her gaze down to her lap. Figures, I always was wary of other people around her. She never would stick up for herself if needed, or if she even wanted to.

“Awh, looks like she wants to sit with li’l Talula!” Deirdre laughed and put her arm around Maddie’s shoulders, which tensed up at her intimate touch. “Get bent, Andresa. You have other friends.”

I gulped, but before I could retort, the bus sped off, and I fell onto my stomach and slid about five feet forward, to the back of the bus. I tasted what I hoped was dirt, and I was coughing as I attempted to stand up. The only thing I could see ahead of me was the window facing the rear end of the vehicle, and we had left the school, and were pulling onto the main road. I placed a hand on this window and steadied myself onto my knees. I felt pain coursing through my chest and stomach, and my knees were probably scratched up, too. I whimpered, but until someone else spoke, I had entirely forgotten the back of the bus was not abandoned.

“Do you want help?”

“Yeah, please.”

The boy with the strange hat reached out towards me and I grabbed his hand. It was surprisingly warm, in contrast to the cold weather outside. He hoisted me up, and helped me to my feet, which was a simple enough task for someone the same height as myself.

I looked back at the seating arrangements for his clique. He sat alone in the furthermost back and left seat, while Macey and Steve shared the one to the right. In front of them, Gabriella and Mary sat together, and across from that duo was Elysia and Halwn. Deirdre had moved further forward to be with Maddie, and Xuihcoatl was now in the front of the bus, sitting alone.

“You’re welcome,” He uttered, and then bluntly shoved me forward before he sat back down and returned to being silent.

I caught my footing, but around the middle of the bus fell into a random seat. Luckily, it was empty, but that also meant I smacked my forehead against the hard window. I rubbed my forehead, in which my cold hand matched the coldness over my face. “Great…” I muttered, turning forward and staring at the back of the seat before me.

“You shouldn’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong,” A wise voice spoke, clearly directed at me.

I turned right to the source.

“Thanks, I didn’t know.”

Michelle frowned and tugged at one of her pigtails. “No need to be so prude, but it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie if you want to get to the bottom of this. Save the infiltration for those three back there.” She cocked her head towards Macey, Steve, and Gabriella.

“You think they’re actually infiltrating the St. Leo delinquent system?”

No, delinquent wasn’t the right word to use. If these kids had tales all like Deirdre’s and were treated as the boy in the hallway was, then they were hardly delinquents in the end. Troubled was a better word, since it implies fault, but not necessarily theirs. Nor did these kids seem to be vile criminals or something, and they were at least quite mentally sound if they were organizing this club and running it without the presence of a supervisor the whole time (unless you count the Officer). In my opinion, that’s the furthest thing from a teenage delinquent.

“Of course they are,” She rolled her eyes. “You think they’d wanna hang out with that crowd without an ulterior motive? Gabriella I can believe, but the Hangens? You’ve got to be joking.” Michelle slumped over in the seat and pulled out her phone from her blazer’s pocket. She started playing a game, in what I assume was an attempt to ignore me or prohibit me from speaking.

It wasn’t as if I had any time left to talk anyway, since it turns out the hospital Jinuya was checked into was not far from St. Leo. That was no surprise, though. They probably get a lot of patients from that school. It seems pretty likely that the school gets away with all the injuries and breakdowns, too. It’s like the school hands their pain off to the kids, kinda like the police did to Patriotic County. It’s almost like authorities are too scared or lazy to take the brunt of situations.

We all exited the bus, and an interaction between Macey and Deirdre showed me the two exchanged the hair she had kept on her earlier. Thank God she didn’t lose it, or I’d be cooked and served as the next lunchtime meal at St. Leo.

The hospital was white on both the inside and out. The floors were marble and shiny, and I nearly slipped and fell upon entering. Managing to keep my ground, though, we were greeted by a friendly-looking receptionist.

Macey leaned over the barrier that was a desk between her and the receptionist and uttered some words the rest of us could not hear. We tried to listen in, but to no avail.

I was alone, too. Michelle had scampered to Gabriella’s side and Maddie was probably unwillingly with Deirdre.

The receptionist nodded and stood up. She ushered for Macey to follow her, to which the girl turned around and faced us and said, “Steve, Officer Landvik, Tang...hmm…” She was selecting people to join her in Jinuya’s presence. I assumed the receptionist told her she could not take the entire group, which is understandable, considering we are a big party.

“Maddie, Deirdre, Xuihcoatl, and Michelle.”

The participants, without arguing, stepped by her side as the receptionist led the down the long corridor to, what I assumed would be the psych ward. A few docile patients roamed about, but none seemed to be my age, or even near Ms. Landvik’s, who was staying by us rejects as an adult supervisor.

Besides myself and Ms. Landvik, the five others left were Elysia, Mary, Halwn, Gabriella, and Judas.

As the light pattering of the feet of my peers disappeared, I sat down in whatever waiting room or lounge the hospital provided in a circle with the ground around me. Ms. Landvik anxiously stood to the side.

“I-I hate to leave you kids like this,” She began, “But would it be alright if I ran out for a bite? I’m gonna come right back with the bus, I promise. There’s a fast food place we passed only a minute up the road where we came from.”

The group collectively just nodded their heads. It wasn’t as if we really cared, and even if we were in danger of violence or assault at this place, there were doctors and nurses almost everywhere to stop it. Also, Gabriella can pack a punch.

“Thank you all. I’ll grab some chips or something extra for you six because Macey doesn’t need you right now. But I do!” She laughed, and tucked back a part of her light hair, revealing some weird cat earrings dangling from a chain. “If they come back and I’m, for some reason, not here, just tell them it was an emergency. Lukas won’t ask questions, and you kids never pry that much into my personal life.” With that as her goodbye, she turned around the partition between the entrance and the lounge and left the hospital.

We all quietly sat around, which felt weird, since I knew Mary and Gabriella as very loud and extroverted. Halwn just adjusted the mask on his face, which he probably felt very self-conscious about, and Judas was clawing at the hair covering the upper half of his face. I almost hoped I’d be able to see his eyes, but, almost naturally, he remained unseen. Unknown. It was quite odd to me.

“S-So, uhm,” I started to speak. “W-What do you guys think about the case?”

They all looked at me, and then each other. No one spoke very loudly. It was the hum of the small, hanging television displaying news reports that almost drowned out our voices.

_Ten years since the…_

“I think it’s really weird. I’m kinda freaked out for my life,” Gabriella said.

“Me, too,” Mary added.

_...disappearance and unrelated case…_

Judas nodded. “Unfortunately. I can’t get the idea of your dead classmate out of my head. And to think that could have been one of us if we arrived a little earlier.”

“I don’t know about that,” I commented. “It was probably intentional that Maria was killed before your arrival.”

_...of their family and Yuuna Kurogane…_

“Maybe,” Mary bit her lip. She, sitting in between Elysia and Halwn, slowly leaned onto Elysia’s broad shoulders, to which she wrapped her arm around Mary and held her there, like a protective partner of sorts. Halwn, on the other hand, appeared a little angered.

_...and the ritual is unconfirmed…_

“I’d like to think it was suicide, like Yuuna’s death,” Elysia gulped. “I-I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but...you understand what I’m trying to convey here, correct?”

“I see,” Judas leaned back in the armchair he sat in. “You’re saying you’d rather Maria offed herself so there wouldn’t be a potential danger out there to get the rest of us next, yeah?”

Elysia cleared her throat. “Exactly that.” She then turned to face me; her brown eyes the dullest eyes I had ever seen in my life.

_...by sources…_

“You’re Andresa, right? You knew Maria better than any of us, except maybe Gabriella. What was she like?”

Even Gabriella waited in anticipation for my reply.

_...and no correlation as of yet is plausible._

“She…” I paused. I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. “M-Maria Beilschmidt was a...fine young girl.” I started off roughly, hoping to smooth out the path for this discourse to continue. “She was our leader. She was smart and creative, too. She came from a place of weapons and inventions. She thought outside the box, but it’s hard to really...tell you guys that, since you’ll never meet her.” I scratched the back of my head. It felt like lying, since knowing nothing about a girl I mourned over felt pitiful. “I-I guess that’s it.”

Gabriella twisted a piece of her own short hair. “Yeah. I wasn’t super close with her, but she once helped me with my science homework.”

“Did it work?” Mary asked.

“No, but it was a fun time.”

Judas scoffed. “You’re dwelling too much on this dead girl. Why don’t you think about the present, or the even the future? You could die at any moment, y’know.”

“Don’t give them such a hard time, Judice!”

An unfamiliar voice spoke. The entire group turned to the partition to see a grown man in scrubs leaning casually against it. He appeared very feminine, with his messy long hair and makeup, but his build was strong. He sounded far more feminine, too. I had never seen this man before.

Judas shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Do you know this man?” Elysia inquired. Judas shook his head stubbornly, but his heated complexion said otherwise.

The man sauntered over to our group and sat in an open seat nearby. He placed a hand on Judas’ shoulder and laughed. “You’re so tense. When’s the last time you got a massage?”

“Go away,” He mumbled, jerking the hand off his body. The man frowned in response.

The rest of us looked at one another in confusion. “Who are you?” Gabriella asked.

The man rolled his eyes and snarled. “You don’t know?” He folded his arms and stared menacingly at Judas. “You didn’t tell them about me, Judice? You’re so unkind!”

The boy simply sighed. “Right, sure.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m Andresa Simone. Patriotic County Trade School. Debate team.” I held out my hand for him to shake. “I’m working with Judas, and our classmates, on an--” I cut myself off. This investigation was confidential. “A-A debate and mock trial crossover. It’s a difficult, but fascinating project. We are here...allowing some of our classmates to visit an old friend, is all.”

Gabriella flashed me a thumbs-up. I think I covered up well.

The man quizzically scanned me, but dropped it moments later. “I’ll believe you, only because I don’t want to know, nor do I care.” He tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear. “Née Abraham Lisife, but everyone nowadays just calls me Harbona. Think of it as a stage name, or a nickname.”

“Harbona…” I mumbled. The name rang a bell, somewhere.

He just laughed. “It was a name I selected for myself, thanks to the drilling religious studies did for me back at St. Leo. Before they sent me here, of course.”

Harbona appeared far too old to still attend St. Leo. He was probably a little older than Ms. Landvik, so why would he still be here?

“How do you know Judas?” Mary inquired.

No matter what reply I got, it seemed a little more than coincidental the two of them had biblical, unfortunate nicknames. I should have seen it coming.

Harbona plucked at Judas’ hat, but he just pulled it further down his face. “We’re brothers. Not blood-related, but both of us had no money to our names. And thus, the police gave us names, since we didn’t have any. We shared a last name, Lisife, which was the surname of an officer who had recently died in their force. To commemorate him, they gave us his name, for some reason.”

“So, if you’re actual name is Abraham, what’s Judas’ real name?”

Harbona looked over to his “brother” and then back to us. “To be honest, he insisted on that name. Now, he was ten at the time, but most ten-year-olds couldn’t tell you who Judas was, even if they avidly attended church. But this kid was different. And I think that’s what automatically got him incorporated in St. Leo Correctional Facility, over the actual, normal school, once he was of high school age.” He shook his head, turning dejected in his attitude. “I was fifteen. I lasted a year at the normal St. Leo before the then prejudiced, dumb administration got involved with my...hobbies. To put it bluntly, I wasn’t doing typical guy stuff, like sports.”

Fifteen, when Judas was ten? I assumed Harbona had smoked or drank a lot as a teen, to harbor the appearance of someone in their late twenties.

He continued, “It was the school’s distaste for my likes and dislikes that made them put me in the facility. They’ve gotten a lot better about it now; that prejudiced shit, but the facility hated me. I don’t…know why. But I pissed off a teacher when I talked back and skipped detention. And then they sent me here. But I got out once I technically graduated.”

“Then, why are you back?” Gabriella tilted her head.

He pulled out a lanyard that was tucked under his scrubs. “I’m training. I’m going to be a doctor. I’m barely out of my junior year of college, but that also means more time in this place. I don’t mind it though. You get used to the smells permeating this sickened place, yeah?”

I was a little too invested in Harbona’s talk that I hadn’t noticed Judas shift entirely to another chair.

Elysia pushed part of her long bangs out of her face and behind her ear, giggling. “Jesus, Judas. What’s your problem?”

He rolled his shoulders back. “Harbona used to tease me a lot when I was little. It’s just a younger sibling thing, I suppose.”

Judas was quite standoff-ish, but even though I wasn’t a younger sibling, I think I could see where he was coming from. To have no name, identity, or true family seemed a little painful.

A small smile cracked on his face. He broke out in a slight chuckle, before throwing his head back and full-on laughing. “I guess I did miss you, Harbona. You piece of shit.”

His brother smiled admiringly. “Thanks, Jude. I’ve gotta go back to this patient I’m wrongfully skipping out on. So…” He stood up and patted Judas’ joyous head. “Thanks for letting me talk to you. And thanks to the rest of you for listening!” He faced the rest of us and blushed. “Feel free to visit me anytime. I’m here on weekends and weekday afternoons. I’d love to tell you all some exciting tales of my time at St. Leo. And speaking of which,” He spoke, “I hope you all who are attending there get out soon. You deserve a normal highschool life.” With those final words, Harbona turned on his heel and shuffled down a hall, only for the rest of us to see our group return the perpendicular end.

Macey was leading them, as I expected. She saw us sitting alone, when Ms. Landvik busted in through the hospital door. She was holding a bagel in one hand, and a large, puffy plastic bag in the other, filled with something. She shuttled over to our congregation in the lobby, and out of the bag, conspicuously handed us each a bag of chips. Macey didn’t seem to care, though.

“Five minutes to return to the bus. We will go to Patriotic to discuss our findings and suspicions, and then we will close before it reaches 7:00. Starting now.” She walked past us with a cold glance, to the bus, and several followed. I looked around at the group I sat with and stood up.

“I’m…gonna go find my brother and say one more thing to him, for now. I’ll be back, don’t worry.” Judas notified us before taking off down a hallway.

I reached Maddie and clasped her arm, glad she wasn’t near Deirdre anymore. She looked at me with a sad expression, but I didn’t ask questions. I held her beside me as we collectively left the building and roamed onto the bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh jeez this took months...i hope its not too lazy


End file.
